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Revealing mistakes: Early in the film, Frank two-finger-types a note on a manual typewriter to tape on the door of his office suite. When we see the note, however, we can see that the typed letters are perfectly uniform in darkness and thickness, indicating that the note was actually typed on an electric typewriter.See more »

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[telling the joke to the others in the bar] Frank Galvin:So Pat says, he says, "They got this new bar... and you go inside and for half a buck you get a beer, a free lunch and they take you in the back room - they get you laid... Mike says, "Now wait a minute, wait a minute, wait a minute. Do you mean to say there's a new bar and you go inside and for a half a buck they give you a beer...See more »

The title of this movie is deceiving. THE VERDICT suggests a courtroom
drama, something like TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD, or INHERIT THE WIND. It does
have some riveting court scenes, but what happens outside of court and to
Paul Newman is the real attraction here. The title not only refers to the
inevitable decision of the important case of the film, but also to how the
Newman character is going to live the rest of his life. Should he sell out
and take the easy settlement, or take the highly regarded archdiocese of
Boston to court for real justice. These are the questions Newman must face
in this profound drama that seems more like a picture of the 70's than an
80's film.

Director Sidney Lumet has dealt with the legal system before in his first
film, 12 ANGRY MEN. He takes it to a more personal level and Paul Newman,
one of the finest actors of the past 40 years, is the person to do it. He
is a legend and he bares his soul as attorney Frank Galvin, a lonely,
corrupt drunk whose license to practice law is hanging by a thread. Jack
Warden plays his trusty assistant who gets him a case that could help Frank
change his life. Warden, however, has had enough.

Newman plays an excellent drunk, even cracking an egg into an 8am beer to
start his day. This is a dim looking movie, shot during a cold winter in
Boston. There are no great shots, or even any emotionally-rousing speeches,
but this is Lumet's style. It is plodding and we see into the life of a
lawyer on the ropes. James Mason is perfect as the slimy defense lawyer.
Newman is constantly underestimated because of past failures. He is a drunk,
but he still has some tricks up his sleeve.

NOTE: Look closely at the closing argument given by Newman. In the
background, you can glimpse a then-unknown Bruce Willis.

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